


'Til the End of the Line

by ChocolateXMyMouth



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bucky Barnes & Sam Wilson Friendship, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I swear this is happier than the tags sound, Sam Wilson Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers Feels, saying goodbye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 18:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30092979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateXMyMouth/pseuds/ChocolateXMyMouth
Summary: *my take on a prequel to TFATWS*To know that this will be the last conversation you'll have with a loved one... it's a distinction not many can have. Whether it's a blessing or a burden, most will never know.Sam and Bucky know. And they don't believe they're prepared... but leave it to the old guy to make the whole thing ten times brighter than the darkness that most would let consume them.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	'Til the End of the Line

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Smitherin7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smitherin7/gifts).



> OMGGGGG I'm so hyped for Friday guys you have no idea!! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this lil fluff and angst piece for a wonderful friend of mine, Smitherin7 <3333 Go check her out please!!

Sam and Bucky were both dreading this visit.

They knew the condition Steve was in - he was an old man now, even more so than when he first met Sam and Bucky was the Winter Soldier still. He had gotten a chance to actually grow old instead of spending those years in ice, finally get the girl of his dreams, and retire in peace.

But that was all nearly a year ago… Now, he was definitely showing his age.

He was in a nursing home now - in fairness, this one treated him with a lot of respect. Only his nurses and doctors knew who he actually was, and they were the only ones who interacted with him anyway, all thanks to the brilliant handling Pepper Potts had managed to do. They loved that woman so much…

But they both knew why they were here.

Natural causes were taking their toll on the aging Captain. He grew weaker every day… sleeping tons more, not eating as much, but still happy as ever. It almost hurt to watch, but there was a bittersweet taste to seeing it unfold.

“You ready?” Sam asked, looking at Bucky as he parked the car.

“Yeah,” Bucky sighed. “Not really… but I can’t think of any place I’d rather be right now.”

“Me too, brother,” Sam said, smiling with a slight tinge of sadness in his eyes. The two stepped out, and walked into the nursing home.

After checking in with the front desk, they made their way over to Steve’s room… he was awake, and sitting up in his bed. The three of them were all alone, just how they wanted; the old man smiled at the presence of his two best friends.

“Hey boys,” Steve said weakly, looking up at them softly.

“What’s up, pal?” Bucky beamed, trying not to get emotional. 

The nurses had given it to them straight last time they were here…

They didn’t expect him to last past tonight.

But dammit, Steve was a fighter - he went out when it was his time to go; not a moment before, and not a moment after. 

“You doin’ alright, buddy?” asked Sam, smiling down at him.

“I suppose so,” Steve sighed, smiling still. “Oh… did you know Wanda came to visit me last Tuesday? It was so lovely to see her again…”

Sam and Bucky smiled gently at one another, then back at Steve… he had said this about three times previously, but it still meant so much to them that he found it such a fond thing to speak of.

“That’s awesome, Steve,” Sam smiled. “Wanda loves you, man. She told you that?”

Steve chuckled softly. “Only every other sentence, haha... what a good girl. I hope she’s doing alright.”

Bucky nodded. “We all do…”

“Life’s been very unfair to some of you,” Steve continued. He smiled up at his pals warmly. “But you still have smiles on… that’s powerful stuff, Buck. I mean that for Wanda, and Pepper - Sam, I mean that for you too… Riley would be so proud.”

Sam nodded, touching his eyes with his sleeve. “Thanks pal… that means a lot.”

“Steve… we don’t…” Bucky began, but he had to stop. It was almost too much.

Steve nodded, petting his flesh hand gently. “I know Buck, I know,” he said, smiling softly. “But… death is not something I’ve ever feared. I know what lies beyond…”

Sam chuckled. “Yeah you do… we all do, man. It just…”

“It just plain sucks we won’t get to talk to you like we do now,” Bucky finished.

“Of course,” Steve said, “but… you know that won’t be forever.”

Sam and Bucky smiled. Even in his presumptive final hours, the Captain was ever the optimist; always finding a way to see the brightness in the darkest hour.

“We know, pal,” Sam smiled. “It doesn’t really make it much easier, though…”

“I know… but that’s part of life,” said Steve, “even, if - as you whippersnappers would say, ‘it just plain sucks’.”

That made Bucky and Sam laugh out loud - to hear Steve Rogers, the most old time-old timer they knew of, say something as old fashioned as ‘whippersnappers’ just lifted their hearts to new heights.

They eventually delved into a conversation that was outside the realm of any sadness at all - what football teams were doing well right now, how Bucky and Sam’s personal lives were going, and Sam’s excitement over getting to see his family again.

“I wish you could’ve met them, Cap,” said Sam, “my sister’s a big fan of yours, as is my nephew.”

“Well, I’ve certainly autographed something you can give to them,” Steve chuckled. Sam remembered some old trading cards Steve had autographed a long time ago, and made a mental note to give them to the both of them whenever they went over. 

Steve then turned to Bucky. “What about you, Buck? Do you have any family plans?”

“Well… they’re all dead,” Bucky said, chuckling as he didn’t really understand the question.

“I don’t mean blood, James,” Steve whispered, smiling up at his best friend.

Bucky clicked the pieces together in his head, and he smiled warmly at his pal, looking down at his shoes briefly. “Well… maybe.”

Steve smirked, patting his hand firmly. “You wanna tell… wait; don’t answer that. I already know what you’re gonna say...”

Bucky laughed aloud at his friend’s joke, having been caught up on what he told Sam back in the forest outside the Avengers compound rubble long ago.

“Y’know, I only have one regret… I didn’t use my memory as an old ass man to excuse myself from swearing more,” Steve said out of nowhere.

Now that made Sam and Bucky laugh harder than just about anything they had heard Steve say before this. They reveled in the fact Steve had cursed, and started teasing him once more about other times they remembered him swearing when it “wasn’t completely necessary”.

However, they couldn’t avoid the topic at hand forever… when the visitation hours dwindled, Bucky and Sam didn’t want to go whatsoever.

“We’ll break the rules, Cap; don’t matter what trouble they threaten us with,” said Sam. “We… we don’t want you to be alone.”

Steve smiled softly. “I understand… but what would you say if… I did?”

Bucky and Sam looked at one another, then back at Cap softly. “We… we would have a hard time with that. But… w-we would respect it,” Bucky nodded.

Steve smiled. “You would?”

“Of course, pal,” Sam said softly.

Steve’s smile only grew. “Buddies… I know this is hard. It’s very hard; it never gets easier every time you go through something like this. But just know… I’m not going where I’m going alone. I won’t ever be alone again, except for the short while after you leave… I’m going to see Peggy again.”

“You tell her hi for us?” Bucky asked, smiling and wiping his eyes.

“Of course, Buck,” said Steve. “She’ll probably ask what took me so long…”

The two younger men in the room chuckled softly, and Sam checked his watch, sighing deeply. “W-We love you so much, Steve…”

“We love you more than anything, pal,” Bucky said.

Steve smiled. “And I love you boys so much too… you take good care of each other for me, alright? I swear, you cause each other more grief than you already do…”

“You’ll get special permission from God to come tell us off,” the two said, in sync and with teary-eyed smiles - he had said this at least twenty times already, even before he was in the nursing home. It was almost a staple of their visits.

This time, it was bittersweet.

The two then got on either side of Steve, and he raised his arms around them as they both hugged him as tightly as they could - which wasn’t very tight at all, but it was firm. The love was there. They both gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, and sighed deeply once more.

“Have a good rest, Steve,” said Sam.

“We’re… we’re with you…” Bucky said, trying not to get choked up at the statement, and the weight behind it.

“To the end of the line,” Steve finished with a confident smile, pumping his fist ever so slightly upward in triumph.

Bucky chuckled, wiping his eyes with his sleeve and nodding. “Goodnight Steve…”

Steve waved goodbye to the two, and with the biggest reluctance they had ever felt, the two walked out of Steve Rogers’ room, and out of the nursing home…

The car ride back was destined to be dead silent, except for a few sniffles and deep breaths.

When Sam and Bucky returned to their shared house, however, Bucky chuckled. “What?” Sam asked, eager for any reason to smile.

“Did I ever tell you about the time Steve and I used our train money on hot dogs?” asked Bucky, a fond smile creeping onto his lips.

“Oh, oh this I gotta hear,” Sam laughed. “After I can tell you about the time I finally lapped HIM in front of the Lincoln Memorial.”

“That story’s most likely bull, but I’ll still listen,” Bucky chuckled.

“Wow, some friend you are!” Sam said, smiling.

As the two walked inside, they exchanged stories about the captain all throughout the rest of the evening and well into the night…

Even when they felt a part of them leave this earth, they still held their heads up.

It’s what they would do with boldness, and pride - to honor the legacy.

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAA I hope that wasn't too painful <3333 I love these three so much, and I cannot wait to see Sam and Bucky (+Sharon!) in action come Friday. I'm so excited.
> 
> Please leave a comment with fic requests, general screaming, or anything else! <3 Comments make my day!!


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